


caramel candy

by greenfelix (literallyepsilon)



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: :3c, A3rarepairGE19, M/M, nocturnality!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 07:16:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19224289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literallyepsilon/pseuds/greenfelix
Summary: the story of two boys becoming vampiresa fic for the A3rarepairGE on twitter





	caramel candy

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! i thought it would be fun to write a fic based off of Nocturnality! I know Franz and Reo don't actually know each other in play but. hehe
> 
> i hope you enjoy!!

“Franz, this way -- !”

The smaller boy’s hand in his own, Reo drags him into an alleyway behind the rickety walls of their orphanage, pulling him tight against his chest.

“It hurts,” Franz complains, his voice barely a whisper. “Reo, what did you do this time…?”  
“Nothing, they’re just after my head.” Reo’s voice is light, filled with the mischievousness every young child should have. “Here, stay like this.”  
“Mm.”

The sound of footsteps hurry by, along with the loud screaming of their caretaker as she rushes after the crowd. Probably to calm the horde of children, Franz assumes, but he has no right to say anything considering he doesn’t _know_ what’s going on.

“What did you do,” Franz repeats, a little firmer this time. “Reo.”  
“I stole candy from Mell.”

As he speaks, Reo produces the aforementioned candy -- two sticky caramels wrapped in thin wax paper. They’re melting, and Reo quickly holds them out to him.

“Eh,” Franz says, taking one. “Are you sure?”  
“Of course.” Reo gestures again, and watches as Franz pops the sweet candy into his mouth.

His eyes light up. Reo’s smile follows with it, gentle and soft.

“It’s good, right? You see why I stole it?”  
“You shouldn’t steal,” Franz mumbles, muffled from the sweet candy. “Mmhm.”  
“If it makes you smile, perhaps I’ll keep stealing a little longer.”

* * *

 One night, a weight finds itself in Reo’s bed, and a warmth snuggles up under his rough covers. Reo instinctively puts an arm around the small figure that’s pressed himself up against his chest.

“Reo,” Franz whispers.  
“Mm,” Reo replies, too sleepy to respond properly.  
“Did you hear about Gwyneth?”

Reo opens his eyes, then, looking down at him. Franz looks pale, as if he’s worried. It’s rare to see Franz worried about anything, so Reo rouses himself a little more, rubs at tired eyes to answer his question.

“The vampires, right?” Reo says. “Mm.”  
“Do you think…” Franz releases a barely held in breath. “Do you think... they’ll come for the rest of us, too?”  
“I don’t think they’re real.”  
“Mm…”  
“Even if they were real,” Reo begins, waving his free hand around, “why would they come for children…”  
“It’s probably because we have good blood,” Franz mumbles, and Reo pets his hair softly. “Kids are walking blood banks.”  
“I think you’re overthinking this,” Reo chuckles. “They’re not real, so we don’t have to worry about them.”  
“Then what happened to Gwyneth…?”

Honestly, Reo’s not sure, but he doesn’t really want to think about what could be happening to Gwyneth. Vampires or no vampires, the fact that she was missing really raised worry in his chest. Either way, they’d have to be careful in these coming days, to watch out for each other.

“Reo?” Franz asks, and Reo shakes his head. “...You don’t know, either…”

Reo runs his fingers through Franz’s soft hair, and he leans into his touch, worrying his lip between his teeth. For a long moment, he doesn’t respond.

“If the vampires are real, and they come for us,” Franz says, “what will you do?”  
“ _If_ they’re real,” Reo replies, “I’ll protect you.”  
“Promise?”  
“I promise.”

* * *

And on the year of Franz’s 20th birthday, they come.

“Reo!”

Franz’s voice breaks on a scream, kicking at his captor -- a tall, pale man whose skin is almost moonlight itself. Reo stares, eyes wide, the sheer _fear_ of the man holding onto his best friend.

“Reo! Reo, h-help -- “

Reo’s stock still, the pressure from the man -- the _vampire_ \-- holding Franz tightly too overpowering, too terrifying for him to move any closer. Franz is crying, he notes, the shiny tears trickling down his cheeks.

“He -- “  
“That’s enough of that,” the vampire says, and Franz’s voice dies in his throat.

Franz clutches at his throat and then stares up at Reo, who’s still -- just standing there, watching him. The vampire meets his golden eyes, and lowers, sinking his fangs into Franz’s throat.

Franz’s expression goes hazy instantly, and Reo begins to shake, lifting his hands to cover his mouth. The smell of blood is too much, and Franz’s expression at being fed upon _terrifies_ him.

“Reo…” Franz gasps out, “weren’t you... supposed to protect me…”

Shame overcomes Reo, and he runs, leaving Franz -- his friend -- behind. Those green eyes burn in his mind, wide and filled with terror, and then the haziness that followed -- he covers his mouth, and shakes as he runs.

He spends a year, maybe two, running from the vampires, dreaming about Franz’s terrified face in his mind, shaking as the vampire drank his blood. Reo couldn’t help him, and he doesn’t know what’s become of him. If he -- the vampires killed him, then -- he couldn’t keep his promise.

One night as he’s walking back to the orphanage, which was still home to him despite his age, it happens. The vampires finally find him.  One of them snarls, teeth razor sharp, and Reo feels that same paralyzing fear surge through him, and he runs. Reo may be 25, at the prime of his youth, and spry on his feet, but vampires are something else. They catch up to him in almost no time, holding onto his arms. He’s yanked back, and teeth are pressed into his neck.

Slowly, the world fades into black. He doesn’t want to die here, but it seems like he must -- alone, and without his friend by his side. He takes comfort in knowing that if he does die tonight, he’ll meet Franz again.

The teeth are yanked from his neck, and he’s dropped to the floor like a crumpled towel. Distantly, through ears that feel like cotton, he hears the sound of yelling, fighting, the sound of clothing being torn, and a gentle wrap around his neck.

Something enters his mouth, and Reo nearly _chokes_ on the rancid liquid trickling down his lax throat, but he’s forced to swallow by whoever’s got a hold on his head.

“Take care of yourself,” Reo hears someone whisper, and opens his eyes to see someone with fluffy white hair vanish behind the corner.

He wants to call out to him, but he can’t move. His eyes close, and he lets himself drift off.

As Reo’s eyes open, he realises that there's something terribly wrong with him. He swallows, and finds his throat dry, his skin cold. He touches the side of his neck, running careful fingers gently around the wound.

“These are -- “

No, there’s no way. He couldn’t be a vampire. He stumbles to his feet, supporting himself against the alley wall, staying as much in the alley’s cool shade as possible. It couldn’t be -- he was sure he was going to die, but then Franz --

Franz… saved him. Despite everything, he still saved him…

He swallows, feeling his throat clench from thirst, and chews on his lips. He has to find him, but for now… he feels his stomach grumble. He has to eat, but -- he can’t just attack someone… For the time being, for the time being, he has to find Franz.

* * *

As time continues to pass, he spends years looking for Franz, occasionally spotting a hint of white hair or green eyes. He drinks when he’s  starving, with each ‘feed’ getting better and less messy.

Finally, the next time Reo sees Franz -- in the flesh, it is on the precipice of a new age.

It is December 31st, 1999, and Reo sees Franz standing beside a young girl, holding her parasol over his head.

He turns, as if he knows someone is staring at him, and their eyes meet. Reo can see his eyes widen, and the parasol is lowered to hide Franz and his distinguished lady guest from view. Despite everything, Reo’s heart clenches. He moves silently through the crowd, who are too enraptured by the sight of the moon rising overhead to notice. He swallows, and Franz raises his parasol, finally looking him in the eyes.

“Gwyneth,” Franz says slowly, “it’s Reo.”  
“Reo…” The girl looks up at him, unnaturally blue eyes looking almost into his soul. “I remember you."  
“Franz,” Reo begins, but Franz’s turned his eyes up to the sky, watching as the crowd begins to count down. “I...didn’t mean to leave you.”  
“It doesn’t matter.” Franz is clearly indifferent. “Whatever happened, happened, and I’m not one to dwell on the past.”  
“But -- “  
“You promised to protect me, but you didn’t. You don’t have to honour that promise anymore.” Franz adjusts the parasol, and Gwyneth holds a little tighter to him. “I wonder if the world is really going to end.”  
“Of course it isn’t,” Reo says, tearing his eyes away from Franz to look up at the sky.

The crowd cheers the numbers, slowly counting down to a new year, or the beginning of the end of the electric age, and then fireworks light up the sky, shining colors down on them.

“Happy new year!” the crowd yells, and as Reo turns his head to wish the same to his old companion, there’s nothing but air beside him.  
“...Happy new year, Franz,” Reo says, despite it all.

The vampire hunters start showing up at the start of the new millennium, driving many vampires into hiding, drinking from people in alleyways, or taking whatever they can get, some even starving to avoid the cruel hand of destiny that the Earth had dealt in the universe’s worst game of poker.

Which leads to their current situation…

* * *

“Oh dear.”

That voice -- ! Reo clutches at his hands, burns searing his hands as he feels the hunter’s grip on his arms tighten, turning to look at the figure in the doorway.

“I thought I might as well partake in this meal, but I ended up drawing the short end of the stick.”

Franz drops into the room, brushing out his coat in a calm and elegant manner. His green eyes pierce the hunter’s, hands calmly in his pockets. The hunter turns, letting Reo stumble to the floor, and holds out his weapon, a silver knife with glowing red runes -- stained with the vampire’s blood, he’s sure. The world seems to be turning…

“Guh -- !” the hunter exclaims, as Franz grabs his wrist, yanking him to the side.  
“You still want to fight? I’m not as lenient as that guy,” Franz says.

Reo’s half aware, but he thinks the hunter runs off. As the world starts to fade into darkness, the pain finally surging into his mind, Franz says something, and his friend, Kouta, responds, and suddenly, he awakens in a dark room, tucked into comfortable blankets. His hands are bandaged, meticulously so.

Franz is sitting across from him, in an armchair, the heel of his foot pressing into the cushion.

“We’ve been exposed, so we can’t stay here anymore.” he says. “The next hunter will come soon.”  
“Franz,” Reo says. “Thank you…”  
“Mm.” Franz stands, moving to sit on the bed next to him. “It’s nothing. He wasn’t strong, anyway.”  
“Seems like all I do is cause trouble for you,” Reo jokes, half-heartedly. “You saved me that time long ago.”  
“You’re nothing but trouble.” Franz agrees, but Reo sees what looks to be the hint of a smile on his face. “Are you alright?”  
“Mm. I am now,” Reo rubs his bandaged hands, chewing on his lip. “Thank you. Really.”

Franz watches him for a few moments, and then leans over, pressing his head into Reo’s shoulder. He sighs, shaking his head, and shuffles a little closer.

“You,” Franz begins, “should stay with me, so you don’t get into any more trouble.”

Somehow, the small statement makes Reo’s heart -- should blood still have been pumping through it -- stutter, and he lifts an arm, patting the back of his head gently.

“I’d like that,” Reo says, after a moment of hesitation. He can feel Franz relax against him. “I missed you too, by the way.”  
“What are you two doing?”

Franz pulls away, watching as Gwyneth jumps onto the bed, settling between the both of them. She leans into Franz, and Reo’s eyes fall on the bite mark on her neck.

“Are you alright, Gwyneth?” Reo says, and Gwyneth looks up at him. “You ended up with Franz, huh?”  
“Yeah,” Gwyneth replies. “Franz broke in, and turned me.”  
“You seem to have a history of turning people, Franz,” Reo jokes, and Franz snorts, letting Reo pull him close again. “Where will we go…”  
“You’re staying with me?” Franz’s voice is almost gentle. “We’ll go wherever you like.”  
“I think it’d be fun to travel to somewhere tropical.”  
“Of all of the places, the beach is not where I expected you to want to go.” Gwyneth says. “You always talked about experiencing the winter.”  
“I’m too cold, now. I feel like an old man.” Reo explains.  
“You are an old man.” Franz replies, and Reo shoots him a look.

Franz takes Reo’s hand, rubbing his thumb softly against the bandages, and lifts his hand to his lips. The gentle movement has Reo stuttering, embarrassment rising like a tidal wave over him.

“We’ll go somewhere tropical the moment you heal up.” Franz says. “For now, we should stay in hiding from that hunter.”  
“That sounds good,” Reo replies, squeezing his hand. “Three vampires on a beach.”  
“Sounds like the punchline to a bad joke,” Gwyneth adds. “We could go anywhere.”  
“Let’s start straight away, then,” Reo says, and decides that he’ll even handle hunters to stay by his side. “I’ll keep my promise, Franz.”  
“You don’t have to,” Franz replies, and kisses his knuckles again. “Just live, and that’s all I care about.”  
“Technically, we’re not alive -- “  
“Shut up.”  
“Fufu.”

Franz, despite his annoyance, cracks a smile, and Reo feels like they’re ten and running from their friends, hand in hand, with sticky, sticky caramels in both of their pockets again. He leans forward, over Gwyneth, and presses his lips to Franz’s.

He can taste the caramel, again.


End file.
